Vice Admiral Alexander Nosatov has been appointed acting commander of the Baltic Fleet. This was reported to RIA Novosti on Thursday by a high-ranking source in the Russian military department.

Previously, Nosatov headed the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet and recently became the head of the Naval Academy.

Earlier on Thursday, Fontanka.ru wrote that the Baltic Fleet is temporarily commanded by Vice-Admiral Sergei Eliseev, the former deputy commander of the fleet. According to the publication, he was the only military leader who was not subject to the purge of personnel in the Baltic Fleet.

On Wednesday, during a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry board, the head of the department, Sergei Shoigu, and members of the board removed from their duties the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Vice-Admiral Viktor Kravchuk, the chief of staff of the fleet, Vice-Admiral Sergei Popov, and several other officials.

The reason for this decision was “serious omissions in the organization of combat training, the daily activities of troops, as well as distortions in reports of the real state of affairs.”

Vice Admiral Nosatov Becomes Acting Commander of the Baltic Fleet – RIA Novosti